Posts by ZA Blog

Having established that God is at work in his children, giving them godly desires and the ability to accomplish those desires (Philippians 2:12–13), Paul then draws out one way those desires manifest themselves. “Do all things without grumbling or arguing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like stars in the universe.” (2:14–15)

As an aside, wouldn’t it be wonderful if this actually characterized the church? No negative words. No senseless debate. We would actually shine into the darkness of this world. And isn’t it interesting that if we could stop grumbling and arguing, then we will be “ blameless and innocent”? (And please don’t comment on the blog post about why it is so important that you argue about theology; that’s…

Craig S. Keener is the F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is the author of more than twenty books, including Miracles and Spirit Hermeneutics. His commentaries include the 4-volume Acts: An Exegetical Commentary, published by Baker Academic, and Revelation in the NIV Application Commentary, among others. He is also co-editor, along with John Walton, of the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible.

We recently collaborated with Dr. Keener to produce an online course on the book of Revelation. We were able to sit down with Dr. Keener for an extended interview about how he writes and conducts research, what it means for him to be a scholar at this moment in history, his advice to younger scholars, and much more.

In East of Eden, John Steinbeck wrote that we all have one story, and it is the same story: the contest of good and evil within us. Any honest person knows that they are losing this contest.

As a child, I could lie to others, but hadn’t yet developed the sophistication to lie to myself. I knew my bad deeds would always push down the scale. So I chose to enjoy my darkness rather than feel guilty about it.

Then I discovered that Christ had already borne the weight of my sin, and that once I accepted his gift, he would never leave. Yet Saint Peter’s scales lingered. In church I was told that as a Christian, my good deeds eventually would outweigh the bad. Then I preached versions…

The Nicene Creed is one of the most famous and influential creeds in the history of the church, because it settled the question of how Christians can worship one God and also claim that this God is three persons.

It was also the first creed to obtain universal authority in the church, and it improved the language of the Apostles’ Creed by including more specific statements about the divinity of Christ and the Holy Spirit.

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Zondervan Academic providing dozens of academic resources, including online courses, to support efficient and accurate Bible translation work around the world.

Grand Rapids, Mich., March 8, 2018 — Zondervan Academic is pleased to announce their support of SIL International®, a faith-based nonprofit organization committed to serving language communities worldwide. Zondervan Academic is providing to SIL some of the world’s top biblical resources to support efficient and accurate Bible translation work around the world.

SIL has developed Translator’s Workplace, a product built on the Logos Bible Software platform, so that those in a Bible translation role who are part of a private, managed group can access resources to aid their translation efforts. Translator’s Workplace acts like a library with unlimited loaning and loan periods. Zondervan Academic, which already distributes many of its titles digitally through Logos, has granted permission to Logos…

Miles Van Pelt recently shared some tips for learning Biblical Hebrew. If you’re thinking of learning Hebrew, you’ll want to take a look at what he says. And don’t forget to check out his Biblical Hebrew online course.

By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from HarperCollins Christian Publishing (501 Nelson Place, Nashville, TN 37214 USA) providing information about products and services of HCCP and its affiliates. You may unsubscribe from these email communications at any time. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at yourprivacy@harpercollins.com. Tip 1: Find Someone to Study With

When you’re studying a language, it’s always good to have a study group or a partner.

31 Word Biblical Commentary eBooks are on sale for the first time—and you save up to 75%. Check out the deals today because they end on March 4, 2018.

The WBC series will help you build deeper theological understanding from solid biblical scholarship. Gain a thorough understanding of the biblical text through historical, textual, linguistic, structural, and theological discoveries collected within these volumes, and gain balanced insight into the Bible’s meaning.

WBC has more #1-rated volumes than any other commentary series (source: BestCommentaries.com, view the top commentaries). These essential resources feature top-rated scholarship by Richard J. Bauckham, William D. Mounce, Gordon J. Wenham, John E. Goldingay, H.G.M. Williamson, Richard N. Longenecker, and many others.

The church across North America does a weak job of welcoming and including families of children, teens, and adults with common mental health conditions or trauma. One obstacle is the absence of a widely accepted model for mental health inclusion ministries for kids, teens, adults, and their families.

In Mental Health and the Church, Dr. Stephen Grcevich seeks to put forth a model for a mental health/trauma inclusion ministry of sufficient flexibility to be implemented by churches of all sizes, denominations, and organizational styles. In today’s excerpt, he reveals how the stigma of mental illness impacts families relationship to the church.

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I believe most pastors and church leaders are unaware of the extent to which the experience of a mental health disorder—“serious” mental health conditions such…

Known by God: A Biblical Theology of Personal Identity by Brian Rosner. 50% OFF Sanctification (New Studies in Dogmatics) by Michael Allen. 48% OFF Awakening the Evangelical Mind by Owen Strachan. 53% OFF Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women by Carolyn Custis James. 40% OFF 11 other titles on sale

We hear the phrase “leap of faith” all the time. It refers to a momentous decision we must make that lies outside reason, or one that forces us to grapple with a difficult belief or moral position.

Surprisingly, the phrase isn’t very old.

The idea first appears in Søren Kierkegaard’s book, Fear and Trembling, which he wrote under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio.

Let’s take a closer look at the phrase “leap of faith,” and see what Kierkegaard meant by it.

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By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from HarperCollins Christian Publishing (501 Nelson Place, Nashville, TN 37214 USA) providing information about products and services of HCCP and its affiliates. You may unsubscribe from these email communications at any time. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at yourprivacy@harpercollins.com.

We’re all on a search for God. Who am I to impose my version of God on you?

There are two ways of understanding God, religion, and spirituality.

One way is to say we’re all on a journey, we’re all searching for the truth, and we’re all searching for God, and we all have our own experiences and perspectives. If Jesus says He’s God to me, fine. But if you have found some other God,…

You have a great sermon prepared, and the hard part is done. It would be great if all you had to do was to stand up and speak the words for maximum effectiveness. But it takes more than just words to deliver the message.

In today’s excerpt taken from Preaching God’s Word, Second Edition, authors Terry Carter, J. Scott Duvall, and J. Daniel Hays remind us that spoken language is only a fraction of the way you effectively communicate your sermon.

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Experts tell us that a major part of sermon delivery is body language. Roy DeBrand suggests that the “visual in preaching is vitally important to communication.” By visual, DeBrand means things related to your body, such as clothing, posture, gestures, facial expressions, and…